


From a Father, To a Son

by vejita



Category: Deep Sea Prisoner - Fandom, 海底囚人 | Deep-Sea Prisoner, 灰色庭園 | Haiiro Teien | The Gray Garden
Genre: Family, Family Feels, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, M/M, No Incest, Other, Presents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 09:00:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28740642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vejita/pseuds/vejita
Summary: The happiness of his sons is one of the most important things to Satanick and he would do anything to grant it, even if it means to forego some things.
Relationships: Ivlis/Licorice (Gray Garden), Ivlis/Satanick (Gray Garden), Licorice/Satanick (Gray Garden)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16





	From a Father, To a Son

**Author's Note:**

> Recently I have been quite busy but I still managed to write this fanfiction between a break and another. It was an idea I got while listening to some music. I hope you will enjoy it!

The flames were as many as always, burning all over the surface of the Flame Underworld. The air was heavy and warm, too warm for one's good, and there wasn't a soul around. No noises could be heard apart from the crackling fire, giving a spectral aura to the whole world, one that could intimidate everyone but not Satanick.  
He was sliding inside the castle hidden in the shadows, as silent as a snake and as intimidating as a tiger.  
His dark cape fluttered around, almost imperceptibly, at every step he took. He had sneaked inside that castle many times, enough to know exactly where to go and where it was better to hide. In a certain sense, it was slowly becoming his second home; in fact, recently he has been spending so much time with the flame devil, both in his own world and in this world, that they looked like a real married couple, at least to Satanick's eyes. At every occasion he went to find Ivlis, the desire to have him by his side all day and all night drived his every thought and his every step, hungry to see more sides of him, especially his small reactions at apparently futile things, which always managed to make Satanick's heart flutter. 

This day wasn't an exception;  
He had been thinking about Ivlis all day long, yearning every second to be with him. So, as soon as he had the possibility, he went over to visit him, breaking in the castle as it was his own property, uncaring about asking for permission; after all, he was sure that everyone there knew about him in a way or another, so who would have tried to stop him? 

He had been walking around for quite some time in hope to find the flame devil, only ending up alone in dark hallways: he hadn't met anyone along the way, not even a demon, only some occasional noisy flame dogs or flying flame bats. 

"Buri Buri, where are you hiding?", he had asked various times, only receiving as a reply the echo of his own words, hitting and bouncing on the walls of the castle. 

A strong feeling of impatience was overcoming him the more he walked, eating him from the inside at every step he took, in his eyes an intense light that glowed in the shadows like a beacon. He was paying attention to every small sound, ready to throw himself at Ivlis once he caught a glimpse of him; however, nothing ever showed up in the hallways, only upsetting him more. 

"Where is he?", he mumbled under his breath, while caressing his lips as he tried to think of where the other devil could have went, nothing coming to his mind. It was almost depressing how in the end they didn't know much about each other, if not for some superficial informations they have learnt both from the time spent together and from demons talking about them. In the last period, after confessing his feelings, Satanick had tried various times to strengthen their relationship by taking Ivlis on dates or doing couple activities, such as intense love-making, not obtaining as many results as he would have liked. 

But hope is the last to die;  
So Satanick kept on walking around aimlessly, until he realized something: he still hadn't checked the bedroom. His eyes shone at the realization, his lips curving upwards in a smile. 

"Now I know where you are Buri-chan," he murmured under his breath to no one in particular, already anticipating the moment his arms would have wrapped around Ivlis, taking in his smell, and just enjoy his company. 

It only took him a snap of fingers to reach the bedroom, too impatient to walk until there, the big and comfortable bed and some other furniture entering his field of view. Satanick looked carefully at every corner, sure to find his dear Ivlis; however, he was once again alone, in company of his frustration only, which was only growing by the seconds. The longer he was left alone, the more he felt dissatisfied: he didn't want to give up, not until he could have a glimpse of that lava-like eyes of the flame demon, which were always able to make Satanick sigh in love like a young paramour. 

That's when he heard footsteps approach the room. Anticipation and trepidation took the best in him, his heart beating so fast in his chest that he feared it would have run away from him to throw himself at the other devil.  
Wihtout further ado, he hid in a corner, swallowed by the shadows, which have been his closest friends for the whole time he has been in the Flame Underworld that day.

He was ready to jump out of his hiding spot, ready to ambush Ivlis, his muscles tense, his gaze fiery, giving him the same appearance of a fierce animal.  
The footsteps were getting closer, Satanick's heart was pounding in his ears. The tension was tangible, possible to feel on his skin like a sharp knife pressed against his throat, the sensation causing him to slightly shudder. 

The impatience he felt soon became thrill, the wait becoming heady. His lips curled up, a pleased smile on his face when he noticed someone entering the room. He was as ready as ever to welcome his dear Ivlis, until Satanick realized that the person in the room was someone else.  
His heart sunk, a strong delusion filling his senses. For a second a spark of jealousy flamed him up, his gaze becoming sharper and more dangerous: he couldn't help but wonder who dared to enter the room of the flame devil as it was his own, as if he didn't know that Ivlis was Satanick's exclusive property. 

He was ready to walk in the center of the room and confront whomever it was, anger fueling his soul, when he realized that the stranger was no one else but his dear and precious son, Licorice, one of the few he dearly loved.  
All anger disappeared, glee taking its place. He was in his adult form, a sight the Pitch Black Lord was used to see; after all, for some reason unknown to him, Licorice always aged himself up around his dear old dad, as if he was trying to look stronger, which Satanick found extremely adorable, genuinely unaware of the real reason. 

He thought about emerging from the shadows and enjoy some quality time with his son, in hope to form a bond with him, but, unfortunately, he knew that it would have only brought to a fight, causing futile displeasure and annoyance.  
So, Satanick kept on hiding and focus on what Licorice was trying to do, feeling deeply invested due to the way the young boy looked cautious and circumspect, as if he wanted to do something not so good.  
Spying on his son was clearly wrong thing to do, the devil was fully aware of that, but he brushed it off as《checking if nothing was going to happen to Licorice and cover his back if there was the need to》. His mind was playing thousands of scenarios, all of them flashing in front of his eyes, unable to figure out what was going to happen, coming up with the weirdest and most bizarre ideas he could ever be able to think about; however, no one of his thoughts was correct, Licorice's actions so simple and pure that it would have been hard to guess correctly.

There it was his son immersed in Ivlis' closet, picking a scarf and putting it around his neck, sinking his flustered face between the soft layers of clothing. He looked genuinely happy with the idea of wearing something that belonged to his beloved 《mother》, whose scent was intrinsic in it. 

Satanick's heart warmed up, the scene so adorable to his eyes, that he had to fight the need to go and hug him close to his chest, expressing how much he adored and loved him. 

With his nose and lips buried inside of the scarf, Licorice seemed completely unaware of being watched by his own father, who was squealing in silence in a corner of the room. He looked to be far away from reality, in a world made of soft clouds and warmed up by Ivlis' hugs. Slowly the child once again reached his hands in the closet, taking another long and red scarf, bringing it close to his face to smell the scent of the one he was so much yearning for. Other than by filial love, the young boy was moved also by a more complex emotion, one that was constantly eating him inside, even in that moment, always firing up his internal turmoil. 

Satanick, who on the other side was completely unaware of such thing, chuckled to himself, feeling a strong warmth overcame him the more he watched his son play with the scarves.  
In that moment he realized how much in reality Licorice looked like Ivlis, especially for his shining orange eyes, which the devil loved so much to look at in every occasion, and which had all the colours of the autumn and the same glow lava has. When he looked at them, Satanick felt that he would have done anything to make those eyes, both the ones of Ivlis and the ones of Licorice, shine forever, especially in happiness, no matter the price. 

This was the thought that made his own purple eyes sparkle vibrantly as a new idea popped in his mind, causing his smile to turn into a more serious expression. Even though he still hadn't found Ivlis, Satanick snapped his finger and returned to his own world, the need to take care of a new matter causing him to change all of his plans: after all, the faster he did it, the sooner he would have been able to spend some time with the other devil, to《recharge his batteries》. 

Little did Satanick know that Ivlis had come back to the castle right when he disappeared, after hanging out with his daughter Poemi, completely unaware of the presence of the other devil, Fate fully making fun of them. 

\--- 

Many days have passed since the evening in which the Pitch Black Lord happened to see his son try on Ivlis' scarves, his flustered face still burning in his mind. He knew how much Licorice looked up at the flame devil, his love for him almost obsessive, but Satanick didn't judge much him; after all, he too loved Ivlis immensely, almost obsessively. 

That's why he had spent most of his time knitting a scarf for his son and give it to him as a present. He poured his whole heart in it, an happy smile never leaving his mouth, with a lot of patience and serenity, never using his powers once: he wanted it to be completely handmade, expression of all of his love and affection.  
Making it took him quite a lot: many were the mistakes he made, many the times he had to start all over. He never once had lost hope, never once decided to give up, always keeping on going forward and knitting: he loved Licorice that much. 

In the end, he managed to make a simple black and magenta striped scarf, the colours that most fitted his son, especially the latter. Satanick often thought about the fact that magenta was a made up colour to help to fill a blanc spot between red and purple, exactly how Licorice filled that gap between the two devils, creating a connection that couldn't be easily broken, helping the Pitch Black Lord feel a new type of love pound on his chest. 

This is how much important his son was to him: he was like a Starlight that helped him to get an hold of his own senses and of his own feelings.  
Satanick knew that Licorice didn't like him that much, he could see it in his eyes everytime they saw each other and from the behaviour he put up around him, in a constant and futile defiant attitude. It did pain him, the idea of being disliked by his sons has always bothered him, but he still tried to smile it off, thinking, or more like, hoping it was only a rebellious phase. 

These were the thoughts filling Satanick's mind as he walked around with an uncertain pace, once again alone in the hallways of the castle of the Flame Underworld, with the only exception that this time he was searching for Licorice. 

An unusual emotion for him was pervading his senses, one that could be defined as uncertainty: he was unsure of where to go, the hobbies of his son a secret to him, causing him to feel lost and disoriented; even if, as much as he hated to admit it, he often felt disoriented when approaching Licorice, who always seemed to push him away or act wary, as if he trying to pierce throught his body with his shiny and big eyes, punishing him for all of his mistakes. 

"What are you doing here?", suddenly a voice asked, shaking Satanick up from his thoughts, causing him to swiftly turn around and look at whomever spoke to him, only to meet the gaze of the man he so dearly loved and he so much missed in the last days, too busy he had been on making the perfect present. 

"What are you doing here?", Ivlis asked once again with a colder tone, demanding an explanation. His eyes were looking at Satanick quite harshly, a bit more daring than the usual, so much that for a second he had the impression that he made the other devil look unsure and uncertain. 

"I made a present for Licorice", he then replied, showing the scarf to the flame devil, almost a bit shyly, as if he was a kid sharing a little secret.  
At that Ivlis widened his eyes, clearly not expecting that answer; after all, most of the times Satanick came it was for stealing him away to do some《activities》with him.  
Feeling intrigued but trying to hide it as much as possible, he looked back and forth between the scarf and the other devil, his eyes shining with curiosity.  
He couldn't explain why but Satanick showing up with a present for their son filled his senses with a strong warmth, exactly like he couldn't explain why seeing him look and act so tame made his own heart ache, causing him to wonder if the one standing before him was the same man that tortured and made him feel miserable for a long time or some washed-out clone of the always exuberant and effusive devil.  
But what more augmented his confusion were the words that left Satanick's mouth right after some minutes of silence, in which they simply stared at each other: 

"Give it to him"; 

"What?", Ivlis asked more shocked than confused. Unconsciously he furrowed his brow and took a step back, as if in front of his eyes there was a complete stranger asking for a favour. 

"Why don't you give it to him yourself?", he couldn't help but blurt out, both weirded out and perplexed by that small exchange of words. He never knew what went through Satanick's mind, no matter how much he tried to understand or give a sense, he just couldn't: it was like entering a tunnel that had no light to show its exit. 

"Because he would be happier if you were the one giving it to him", the Pitch Black World's Lord said after some more minutes of silence, his voice sounding more like a whisper, like a soft breeze that whistled between the leaves. He had a weak smile on his face, something close to sadness clearly shining in his purple eyes. Satanick wished to see his son happy, he wanted that more than anything, and he was aware of the crushing difference in affection that Licorice had for his《mother》, one that couldn't be easily overcome by a present.  
Those were the thoughts passing through his mind, the ones that Ivlis was trying so hard to understand without much success. Tilting his head to the side, still a smile on his face, he offered the present to the flame devil, shaking it gently to encourage him to take it. 

Ivlis was still uncertain by all that, his sharp gaze still analyzing the other; he couldn't understand if it was a sort of trap or if it better to lower his guard for once.  
After some more thinking and some more staring at each other, he finally sighed out a《Fine》and took the scarf in his hands, immediately noticing how much soft and warm it was to the touch, enough to entice anyone to wear it and snuggle their face in it. He took a moment to admire the thin magenta stripes, amazed by the perfect knitting job. 

"Are you coming with m-", Ivlis tried asking, looking up from the present only to notice that no one was there to meet his gaze nor to answer his question. His first instinct was to turn around, afraid to have fallen for a trap and be pinned to the ground but even behind him there was no one.

Ivlis frowned and stared at the scarf; he had to admit it: the atmosphere always felt quite lonely and less lively when Satanick left. 

"Mama", suddenly a soft voice said, almost uncertain, distracting him from his thoughts. A soft tug on his pants caused him to look down, meeting the warm gaze of his son, who was looking at him with a puzzled look.  
At the sight of the small child, warmth filled his body as he looked back at him, his own eyes as shiny as the Sun: most of the times he didn't know how to act around Licorice, especially when he aged himself up and acted strangely possessive towards him, but seeing him in his child form always managed to help him feel better, comfortable and secure. 

Ivlis slowly knelt down, face to face with his son, his deep sunset-like eyes meeting the sparkling sunrise-like ones of Licorice, and wrapped the scarf around the small neck, careful to not do it too tightly.  
The child's eyes widened and stared at the older devil, not moving his body of an inch. 

"This is a present for you", Ivlis explained as he looked at his astonished son, who shifted his gaze to admire his new scarf, a small flush reddening his pale cheeks. His eyes were sparkling with many emotions, excitement above all else. It was in moments like these that the flame devil could feel himself smile a little, all the sadness and emptiness pushed in the back of his mind for a split second. 

"Your father made it", he clarified, the word《father》to his ears sounding sweeter than he would have thought, bringing an inexplicable emotion that twisted and tugged at his heart, which recently has been in the clutches of unknown feelings he didn't know how to deal with, no matter how much he tried to, no matter how much time he spent thinking about them. 

With a pensive and lost gaze, he contemplated the joyful face of Licorice: he had expected to see the usual scowl his son had everytime someone hinted at Satanick; however, the child looked too happy to care, too lost in his personal world to fully understand: in that moment he for once looked like a kid of his age, free from any unnecessary worries, free from any internal turmoil.  
The more he watched his son beam in happiness, the more Ivlis couldn't help but wonder what was the meaning behind Satanick's mysterious words and odd look, so frail and distracted, like the one of an helpless fawn, completely in contrast with how he usually acts. 

"Thank you," suddenly Licorice muttered, his small face adorned by a soft smile. At that Ivlis caressed the hair of his son, thinking about how much they resembled the ones of Satanick, both in colour and velvety. He still couldn't understand why did the other devil leave, for once feeling downhearted by his disappearance, entirely unaware of the fact that the one occupying his thoughts was observing them from a corner, a small smile adorning his lips as he watched the delighted expression of Licorice, which was as refreshing as a spring breeze and as bright as the light of the Sun. 

He would have liked to walk in and play with his son and with Ivlis, but that day his heart was too frail, too exposed to the eyes of everyone. His wish was to see his son smile and to be the cause behind it, but he knew he was far away from achieving it, still unable to find a way to get along with him. Nonetheless, seeing Licorice appreciate his new scarf was enough for Satanick, who had received back an even more beautiful present: the happiness of his son.

Satisfied and with a bit of his sadness erased by Licorice's smile, the Pitch Black Lord looked one last time at his small family, promising to them in his heart to come back soon, and disappeared, leaving behind no traces about his presence, apart from a scarf wrapped around the neck of his son.


End file.
